him to have a battle standard made with the sign of the cross. Constantine
triumphed in the historic battle at the Milvian Bridge near Rome, which led
to his conversion to Christianity.
Note the volume of the tent where Constantine sleeps. The scene is
illuminated by a magical light, an angel carrying the sign of the cross that
has been badly damaged. The light plays an important role in Constantine’s
vision. After this dream, Constantine sends his mother, Helena (St. Helen),
to the Holy Land to ¿ nd the True Cross.
Discovery and Veri¿ cation of the True Cross is a two-part scene that is
placed directly opposite the painting of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon.
The two scenes are against a common background and are reminiscent of
Masaccio’s Tribute Money, with its architectural perspective on the right
and an atmospheric perspective in the deep space of the landscape on the
left. Three crosses have been excavated, but the True Cross is found only
during a funeral procession. The three crosses are held in turn over a dead
man’s body, which is restored to life with the True Cross. Note the powerful
geometry of the architecture in the painting, which had no parallel yet in
Renaissance Italy.
The next image shows the Annunciation, which doesn’t seem to have any
place in the cycle. For that reason, it is sometimes called the Annunciation
to St. Helen, telling her where the cross can be found. It follows the
standard iconography of the Annunciation to Mary, except that the dove of
the Holy Spirit is nowhere to be seen. The dove may have been painted in
fresco secco and, thus, may have À aked off. The two stories may have been
intentionally merged.
We can consider another masterpiece of Piero’s career, the Resurrection
(c. late 1450s, Town Hall, Borgo San Sepolcro). This painting shows the
tomb, a Classical sepulcher, behind the front of the pictorial space. The
guards surround it, most of them asleep, although one appears to be waking.
The painting is organized geometrically, with Christ’s head at the top of a
pyramid shape. The torso of Christ is Classical (archaic manner), and his left
leg is raised in motion. There is another division down the middle and across
the center, with the lines crossing precisely at the navel of Christ. Winter